On 25 August 2026, the Delhi High Court said it was "extremely concerned" over untreated sewage continuing to reach the Yamuna and directed municipal authorities to plug open drains, fast-track sewage treatment plant (STP) upgrades and break a deadlock over redevelopment of 27 non-conforming industrial areas in the capital, according to a report carried by ANI News.
Key takeaways
- A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, in an order dated 24 August 2026, directed the Delhi Jal Board and other agencies to ensure untreated sewage does not flow directly into the Yamuna.
- The Delhi Jal Board told the Court that existing STP capacity stood at 814.26 MGD as of 24 August 2026, with a target of 1,041.10 MGD by 31 December 2027.
- Twenty-eight decentralised STPs out of 29 proposed for Delhi's outer areas have been awarded, with construction targeted for completion by January 2028, while 13 new decentralised STPs of 328 MGD combined capacity are proposed for submission to the Namami Gange Project Authority.
- Twenty-eight STPs are operational at the 10/10 NGT standard with a combined capacity of 735 MGD, while nine others are being upgraded from the 30/50 standard, with work due between December 2027 and May 2028.
- The Court ordered the MCD to immediately construct a separator wall and cover the open Abul Fazal drain in Okhla without waiting for an NOC from the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department.
What happened
Reporting on a 24 August 2026 order, ANI News said a Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora identified four gaps in Delhi's sewage management: upgrading existing STPs, augmenting their capacity, building new STPs so untreated sewage does not reach the Yamuna, and preventing treated water from re-mixing with untreated sewage before discharge ANI News. The Bench acted after Local Commissioner reports indicated that only some of the sewage was being treated, with the rest flowing into the river untreated ANI News.
On capacity, the Court was told the Delhi Jal Board's existing STPs totalled 814.26 MGD as of 24 August 2026 and that the board is working to lift this to 1,041.10 MGD by 31 December 2027, subject to project reports and funding ANI News. Twenty-eight STPs are already running at the 10/10 standard prescribed by the National Green Tribunal, providing 735 MGD, while nine are being upgraded from the 30/50 standard with completion targeted between December 2027 and May 2028 ANI News.
The Court recorded that 28 of 29 decentralised STPs planned for outer Delhi have been awarded, with the remaining one at tender stage; construction on the awarded package is targeted for January 2028 ANI News. Separately, the Delhi Jal Board has proposed 13 further decentralised STPs with a combined capacity of 328 MGD; detailed project reports have been sent to the Namami Gange Project Authority and the Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga was directed to examine the proposal ANI News. The Court also flagged the risk of treated water re-mixing with untreated sewage and said dedicated treated-water drains should be given "top priority" in planning for both existing and new plants ANI News.
On the open Abul Fazal drain in Okhla, the Bench said an uncovered drain without a separator wall or covering could pose a "serious safety hazard" to residents and commuters ANI News. With the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) having written on 24 April, 12 May and 3 July 2026 for an NOC from the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department and received no response, the Court ordered the MCD to construct the separator wall and cover the drain with slabs without waiting for further clearances, and to undertake continuous desilting ANI News.
On the 27 non-conforming industrial areas whose redevelopment is tied to the same pollution problem, the Court directed DDA's Additional Commissioner (Planning), Manish Verma, to convene a meeting on 31 August and prepare timelines for plan approval and any Master Plan relaxations ANI News.
Capacity at a glance
| Asset | Capacity / count | Standard or status | Target date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Existing STPs (total installed) | 814.26 MGD | Mixed | Reported 24 Aug 2026 |
| Existing STPs target capacity | 1,041.10 MGD | 10/10 where upgraded | 31 Dec 2027 |
| STPs already at 10/10 NGT standard | 735 MGD across 28 plants | 10/10 | Operational |
| STPs being upgraded from 30/50 | 9 plants | 30/50 today, moving to 10/10 | Dec 2027 – May 2028 |
| Decentralised STPs for outer Delhi | 28 of 29 awarded; 1 at tender | New build | Jan 2028 |
| Proposed 13 additional decentralised STPs | 328 MGD combined | New build, DPRs with NMCG | Pending NMCG review |
Specification read
For an operator, the headline number is 1,041.10 MGD, or roughly 4,760 m³/day per MGD conversion (general industry range, not from the sources). The Court is pushing the existing 814.26 MGD base of municipal STPs upward, layering in 13 new decentralised plants of 328 MGD, so the medium-term envelope sits well above 1,300 MGD of nominal treatment capacity. The treatment train this class of project requires is conventional municipal: screening and grit removal, primary clarification, biological treatment (typically A2O, MBBR, SBR or MBR for high-grade reuse), tertiary filtration and disinfection, with DAF-style solids separation useful where mixed industrial flows push TSS or FOG. This event bears on the secondary biological stage and on the post-treatment conveyance step, since the Court explicitly flagged that treated water is re-mixing with untreated sewage before reaching the Yamuna and ordered dedicated treated-water drains to be a top-priority work item. If your plant sits in the 50–500 m³/day band, handles mixed domestic plus small-industry sewage with BOD in the 200–400 mg/L range, and is under pressure to meet 10/10 NGT effluent norms, the procurement signal here is twofold: new decentralised packages are being awarded with construction windows into 2028, and the controlling authority wants explicit segregation of treated and untreated streams, which is a near-certain scope addition on any new or upgraded package ANI News. For a buyer's specification, that maps to an integrated sewage treatment train with a defined municipal reuse envelope, and where flows include industrial carry-over, to a DAF flotation polishing step before disinfection.
FAQ
What is the current installed STP capacity in Delhi as of August 2026?
According to the Delhi Jal Board, total installed STP capacity was 814.26 MGD on 24 August 2026, with 28 plants at the 10/10 NGT standard providing 735 MGD ANI News. A general rule of thumb (general industry range, not from the sources) is 1 MGD ≈ 3,785 m³/day, so 814.26 MGD is on the order of 3.08 million m³/day of nominal hydraulic capacity.
How much new capacity is Delhi adding and by when?
The Delhi Jal Board is targeting 1,041.10 MGD of operational capacity by 31 December 2027, with 28 of 29 decentralised outer-Delhi plants already awarded and targeted for January 2028, and 9 existing plants being upgraded with completion between December 2027 and May 2028 ANI News. A further 328 MGD across 13 proposed decentralised plants is under NMCG review.
What treatment standard is the Court demanding?
The Court is anchoring the upgrade programme to the 10/10 standard prescribed by the National Green Tribunal, rather than the 30/50 level that some of the older plants still operate at today ANI News. For a buyer, that means specification documents for any new or upgraded package should be written to 10/10 effluent, not 30/50.
What is the procurement timeline a supplier should plan for?
Bid windows are visible: 28 of 29 decentralised plants already awarded with construction to January 2028, 1 at tender stage, and 9 upgrades due between December 2027 and May 2028, with another 13-plant 328 MGD package pending NMCG review ANI News. Suppliers should expect a 12–24 month engineering, procurement and construction envelope (general industry range, not from the sources) from award to mechanical completion on these municipal packages.
